


Idle Thoughts

by divine_rose



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 09:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21051881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divine_rose/pseuds/divine_rose
Summary: A moment of stillness.Soft fluffy soriku with a side of angst





	Idle Thoughts

The rainy season had hit the Destiny Islands particularly hard this year. It felt like this storm had been going on for  _ days,  _ or at least, that was how it felt to Sora. The rain falling so hard it angled sharply. The palm trees practically bending from the force of the wind, looking like they would snap in half if not for the way they sprung back once the torrent passed.

“Sora…” Riku’s voice could be mistaken for near exasperation to the uninitiated, “It’s not going to stop raining just because you  _ stare  _ at it really hard.” He understood Sora’s frustration though, this storm was putting off perfectly good plans. Plans to actually go and enjoy their home world. A place they hadn’t been for what felt like  _ ages— _ and here they were, felled by rain. Neither of them remembered Destiny Islands as being so...damp. Sora had hit peak restlessness with having to be virtually stuck in one place for so long, let alone the miserable weather. 

Sora had to practically tear himself from the window, having pressed his face up against it. Nose and cheeks squished against the cool glass, so when he turned to regard Riku, there were little red marks on his face that forced Riku to quickly stifle a laugh before it escaped him. 

“But Rikuuuu,” Sora half whined, dragging out the final syllable for all that it was worth. After ripping himself away from the window the will seemed to leave his body as he slumped forward slightly, shoulders rolling forward into a near hunch as he took heavy steps over to the other boy; each one an immeasurable effort. “It’s been  _ three days!”  _ He collapsed onto the couch when he was close enough, so suddenly it nearly bounced Riku up from his seat since he wasn’t expecting it. 

“I’ll be sure to forward your complaint to Mother Nature herself,” Riku said flatly, or almost flatly, the corner of his mouth betraying him as amusement crept into his voice. Sora caught it and looked up from where he had all but face planted into the couch cushions beside him.

“Very funny,” he huffed in what was mostly mock annoyance. Sora wasn’t sure if he ever had it in him to be  _ truly  _ annoyed at Riku, sarcasm and all. 

“Thanks. I thought it was,” Riku smirked at him, earning a pillow tossed at his head that he struggled to catch in time, “H-hey!” He looked momentarily affronted. Riku lowered the pillow, which Sora quickly snatched back and put behind him as he lay back on the couch, taking up two cushions and trying to get comfortable as he stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t like it either, you know,” Riku pointed out, an amused smile playing on his lips as he watched Sora fondly. 

“I know.” Sora huffed, “But….” Sora trailed off for a moment as if trying to find the words, “You ever feel so stuck in one place that you feel like you’re going crazy? It’s like that.” 

Riku knew exactly how Sora felt, it was why he didn’t do so well with enclosed spaces anymore. He didn’t want to feel  _ trapped.  _

“Yeah…” Riku began, thoughtfully, looking out somewhere  _ else  _ for a moment. It made Sora sit up a bit, cross-legged, as he regarded Riku with a slight tilt of his head.

“So, what do you do then?” Sora asked, genuinely curious to how Riku handled this feeling; the agitation. Surely whatever Riku did must be the answer, right? Riku just knew  _ everything.  _

“Well…” Riku began thoughtfully, trying to pull together some sort of answer, especially one that would be worthy of and helpful to Sora. He glanced at the other boy out of the corner of his eye; took in his slightly wide-eyed, waiting gaze. Sora was always full of  _ wonder _ in a way that made Riku wish he could capture it in a bottle, especially when Sora looked  _ that _ way at him. He took in a breath. He had grown enough in these relatively few years that he was getting closer, closer to saying all the little things. To not keep everything bottled up.

They had all been through too much for that. 

Finally, finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he said it: 

“Having you here helps.” Riku could feel the smile on his lips, soft, faint, almost ghostlike in its fragility. He glanced at Sora from the corner of his eyes again, trying to read every single micro-reaction on Sora’s face while also trying to maintain the illusion that he found the television more interesting— turned-off television, where he could still see his and Sora’s reflections. 

“Wow.” Sora said after a minute, slowly, as if considering it. He leaned back down against the arm of the couch, arms folded behind his head. “Didn’t know I was that important.”

The words slipped out before he had a chance to stop them, and Sora caught them only after they left his tongue. He sat up in alarm, his eyes wide as if to physically chase the words and bring them back from whence they came, “I-I mean--” he started, stammering. 

“Sora!” Riku was so shocked by the words that his own came out a little harsher than he would have ever,  _ ever _ intended. He was just so ...taken aback. He softened instantly, especially after Sora’s eyes darted away from his. 

“Sorry, I-” Sora began, but Riku quickly cut him off.    
  
“You don’t  _ really  _ believe that, do you?” Riku regarded him steadily, Sora’s eyes slowly rose to meet them and, for a moment, he felt like Riku could see straight through him. Well. He guessed that was what happened when you’d both trapezed each other’s hearts. You kinda got laid bare. 

“No…” Sora began, almost like a child that had been caught, “I mean...not  _ always, _ ” he started.    
“But sometimes?” Riku finished.

“Sometimes.” Sora confessed, in a small voice.

He was afraid of what Riku would say, but even still, he desperately wanted and craved the other boy’s approval above all else. Would he tell him he was right? No, of course not. Sora quickly pushed that thought from his mind. Would he brush his concerns aside? Everyone else did. Another  _ oh, you don’t mind that,Sora. You’re fine. You’re always fine.  _

He was always  _ fine _ .

Sora hadn’t realized he had folded in on himself slightly, pulled his knees close on the couch and rested his arms and head in them. He hadn’t realized until he felt a sudden warmth on his shoulder, warm and comforting and  _ familiar.  _ It jolted him out of his thoughts as he glanced up to meet Riku’s eyes. He was closer now, and Sora felt his breath catch in his throat for a moment when he realized just  _ how  _ close. 

Riku regarded him steadily, searching his eyes for a moment. Sora fidgeted, uncomfortable with the notion of being  _ seen _ . He was so used to brushing things off, burying,  _ hiding _ , despite being so open and expressive. Sorakept so much about his own personal feelings shoved down and hidden, festering, because other people needed him. Other people needed Sora, the Sora who was always hopeful and joyous and determined. No one wanted the Sora who was unsure and nervous and.. _ .afraid.  _

There wasn’t time to be afraid, no time for doubt, he just had to keep going, keep fighting, keep winning or else if they lost...if he lost, then his friends...everyone would be. His stomach plummeted like a stone, and the ghost of things that he could feel on the edges of his mind and in his heart threatened to overwhelm him. Like a painful, fearful  _ knowing _ —like he knew the shape and  _ form _ of failure, despite the fact that conjuring the memory of it was difficult but he  _ knew  _ he  _ knew _ . He found himself leaning forward slightly, to steady his head on Riku’s shoulder.

Sora could feel Riku tense for a moment, not affronted, just...surprised...by the contact. There was a beat where neither boy moved, before Riku gingerly moved a hand up to place gently on the back of Sora’s neck, just below his hairline, as if touching his hair would be a bit  _ too  _ intimate a touch and this was deemed safe for now. Riku didn’t press for answers, not right away, anyway. He knew the value of silence, of things unspoken. He would give Sora time to parse out what he was feeling, what he was  _ finally _ being allowed to feel. There was nothing else to do but listen to the rapid fall of the rain against the window glass and to feel the faint warmth of Riku’s hand on him. 

“It was always supposed to be you, Riku,” Sora said after a moment, carefully, as if he was treading into the very storm outside itself, “It was never supposed to be me…” he had said before that it didn’t matter, but it did...it  _ did,  _ when so much lately had just proven how unfit he was to—

“So?” Sora could hear the shrug in Riku’s voice without him doing it, the very faint movement of his free shoulder so as not to disturb Sora. 

“So?” Sora echoed, as if he couldn’t believe that was all Riku had said, “ _ So  _ I’m an accident, Riku! I’ve gotten this far on sheer dumb luck!” He sat up to look at Riku, though a part of him instantly regretted it since it meant an end to the cautionary contact they had shared. 

Riku looked at him for a moment before closing his eyes, a faint chuckle escaping him. Sora felt a bit of heat rise to his cheeks, “Hey!” He snapped a bit, “What’s so funny about that!? I know it’s true, but you don’t have to laugh like that…” His momentary surprise and anger began to deflate. 

“Sora…” Riku looked at him with a slightly bemused smile, “If you’re functioning on dumb luck alone, then your “dumb luck” is a certifiable superpower.” He snickered a bit, reaching forward to ruffle his hair despite Sora trying to swat his hands away. “When you put your mind to something, you’re unstoppable!” Riku grinned, stopping to hold Sora by the shoulders so he’d look at him, to show him he truly meant every word he was about to say, “Sora. I never… _ ever _ thought I’d end up a Keyblade Master...I took the test because I wanted to prove to myself I was worthy of the keyblade.” He smiled softly, “and because  _ you _ wanted to take it,and I wanted to be beside you.” 

Sora’s eyes widened just slightly, the words sinking in as Riku continued without letting him get a doubtful word in edgewise, “Who cares about stupid titles?” He scoffed a bit, “Sora. You saved the  _ worlds _ over and over again! C’mon, Sora, can you really say you  _ lucked _ your way through  _ three  _ near-cataclysmic events?” He smirked, “No one can argue with those results!” He elbowed Sora playfully in the ribs, who swatted at him in return. Riku wasn’t sure if his words sunk in. He knew what it was like to get into that headscape, that spiral, and then have to crawl your way out of it. He noticed Sora wipe a tear away from the corner of his eyes. From mirth or sadness, Riku wasn’t sure. 

“Jeez, Riku,” Sora huffed, puffing his cheeks up for a second before letting out the breath, “You really take this whole dream eater thing too seriously. can’t even let a guy mope, can you?” He said before giving a small grin, which made Riku soften before giving a laugh of his own, the apprehension leaving him as well as he suddenly lunged forward, fingers quickly finding the space on Sora’s side right below his ribs and tickling to earn a sudden yelp and laughter from the other boy, “H-Hey!” Sora managed out in between fits of laughter, “Q-quit it!” 

“Well, that’s because it’s my job to eat up all the bad stuff and make you feel better!” Riku laughed, dodging Sora’s weak little swipes at him, “Sora, I’m  _ helping _ !” He laughed as Sora wiggled and flailed, both a mess of limbs as they nearly rolled off the couch. 

“R-Riku! I think you’re confusing dream eater with therapist!” Sora snickered; his sides hurt a bit from laughing so much between the tickling and how just...refreshingly ridiculous Riku was being. 

“Same thing.” Riku responded simply as he ducked an errant swing of Sora’s hand. 

“It is  _ not _ the same thing!” Sora caught a deep breath for a moment in between fits of laughter. 

“Sure is.” Riku snickered, “Did you know Meow Wow was licensed? Wrote their dissertation on how Flick Rush is dream eater exploitation and everything.” 

Both boys were silent for a moment, the ridiculousness of that sentence hanging in the air for a moment before both burst out laughing, practically falling over one another. 

After several moments, they both found themselves hanging over the edge of the couch, legs still on the cushions as they stared up at the ceiling catching their breath. A couple errant laughs still escaped them as they came down. 

“I missed this.” Riku mused after a moment, sobering.

“What?” Sora asked, glancing his way. 

“ _ This. _ ” Riku gestured nebulously, as if it was obvious, “Us. Laughing. Having fun, no threats, no obligations or separations, just us getting to be well...us.” He smiled softly, “It’s nice to rest….” even if their plans had ended up ruined for the day because of the weather to Riku this ...just being with Sora...was more than enough. 

“Yeah…” Sora breathed, turning his eyes back towards the ceiling, watching as the rain fell against the skylight. “It is kinda nice...but if you think this gets you out of our race, then you’ve got another thing coming!” He grinned, sitting up suddenly and which made Riku follow suit, “I bet I’m going to win!” Sora beamed. 

“No flow motion.” Riku smirked, “Or any other tricks.” 

“Aww, but Riku! Where’s the fun in that!” Sora whined, slumping his shoulders a bit, “We could get to the finish line in no time with it!” 

“We’re going to need a bigger course…” Riku murmured. 

“Hmm…” Sora mused in thought, folding his arms, “How about...first one to all the islands and back wins?” 

“You’re on.” Riku laughed, “But no gliding!” 

“Oh come on!” Sora pouted. 

“ _ I  _ can’t glide!” Riku frowned.

“ _ You _ should have made more friends with fairies!” Sora grinned, leaning forward slightly with his hands on his hips. 

“You’re a keyblade wielder, you’re supposed to play fair!” Riku snickered.

“Nah, that's just you masters, I can do whatever I want!” Sora’s grin practically stretched ear to ear. 

“Glad to see you’re feeling better.” Asoft smile tugged at Riku’s lips.

Sora gave a small shrug, “What can I say? I got a really effective dream eater.” He gave Riku a small grin, “And the promise of my impending victory once this  _ rain stops _ !” He threw his hands up in the direction of the windows behind Riku on the opposite wall of the room. 

“What should the winner get?” Riku mused, watching Sora’s actions with a soft fondness he couldn’t really help.

Sora seemed to think for a moment before glancing at Riku through the corner of his eye, “Same as before?” He asked, which left Riku quiet for a moment as he mulled it over in his mind, pursing his lips in thought of what to say. 

“A papou?” Riku asked, just to clarify they were both thinking the same thing. 

“Yeah.” Sora said, a bit of nervousness creeping into his voice, “That is if you….” He began, but Riku quickly kept speaking

“Seems to me like no matter what, both people win.” He said, in a musing factor, though the words communicated exactly what he thought as he smiled softly at Sora.

Sora could feel a warmth on his ears and he hoped it hadn’t spread to his face, eyes slightly wide. “Uh...you caught me.” He laughed nervously. 

“I like it.” Riku smiled, carefully and slowly reaching for Sora’s hand fingers curling around it gently. “I’m tired of games with clear winners and losers anyway.” He played at brushing it off, but smiled knowingly at Sora. 

“Y-yeah…” Sora breathed, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling. 

Riku leaned in closer and for a moment Sora’s heart felt like it could leap out of his chest, the other boy stopped just inches from his face before he smirked. 

“You still can’t use glide,” he said. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Written as food for Kristin who is also the lovely beta of this fic <3


End file.
